BREAK IT BEFORE IT BREAKS The importance of self-disruptive business strategies and how to implement them

This thesis examines the role of self-disruptive business strategies as a key mechanism for sustaining competitive advantage in dynamic and uncertain environments. While strategy is widely recognized as essential to organizational success, it remains characterized by conceptual fragmentation and persistent challenges in execution. In particular, firms often struggle to translate strategic intent into effective action, a difficulty that is further amplified when continuous strategic renewal is required. Building on existing literature on disruption, dynamic capabilities, and innovation, this research argues that firms must proactively renew their strategies before external forces render them obsolete. Self-disruption is therefore conceptualized as a deliberate and ongoing process of strategic transformation, rather than a reactive response to environmental shocks. However, implementing such strategies presents significant challenges, particularly due to organizational inertia and resistance to change. The empirical analysis is based on qualitative interviews with practitioners, allowing the identification of key patterns and managerial insights. The findings highlight three main requirements for successful self- disruption: continuous analysis of the firm’s position and environment, the ability to define and measure a desired future state, and the effective mobilization of people to execute change. In addition, the research emphasizes the importance of balancing exploration and exploitation, and of using prioritization and testing as mechanisms to manage this tension. By integrating theoretical perspectives with practical insights, this thesis contributes to both academic understanding and managerial practice. It provides a structured framework and a set of actionable guidelines to support firms in translating strategy into execution and in implementing self-disruptive business strategies.